Bug Chasers and Gift Givers (MERGED)

Many of the students in my nursing class (in fact ALL OF THEM) had never heard of gift giving which is the action of knowingly giving HIV to a non-infected person. One reason why anyone would do this is :

"Many psychologists theorize that participation in bug parties is actually an anxiety disorder where the non-infected individuals fear getting HIV so greatly that they would rather contract it and free themselves of the anxiety of living in fear. These parties are also seen as a sort of club for those living with HIV. Infecting a HIV negative and willing participant initiates them into their world. Some people also engage in unprotected anal sex (or barebacking) as the fear for AIDS dangerously dwindles."

http://gaylife.about.com/cs/gay101/a/bugparties.htm

http://www.komotv.com/news/story.asp?ID=25009

This is not an isolated occurrence and is worth knowing about.

 

HBO aired a special on it called "The Gift." Worth watching if you can see it.

 

It's not that complicated: if you deliberately contract a disease, you're probably nuts.

 

I can't believe that one would actually WANT to get HIV. I have never heard of bug parties either.

 

Unfortunately, the so-called "bug chasers" and "gift givers" (I really despise that latter term, especially with Valentine's Day just around the corner) have more than just deep anxiety. They also have very low self-esteem. Some may be clinically depressed after losing a loved one to AIDS. I feel more sadness for them than anger.

-- Skeeter

 

Neither did I, but sounds wierd. I don't think I would ever would like to participate. How could a person be willing do get a Disease! IT's just not natural..

 

EDIT The author did intend this to be a thread about chubby chasing but it became a thread about bug chasing, so we have this one for that and this thread about chubby chasing
http://www.hipforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=233948

 

are you talking about bug chasing?

If so, explain what it is that turns you on so much about it.

 

Did you know, well you didn't know!!!!
but I'll tell you all now!
I was watching a daytime chat show on this subject and it disturbed me so much I did a google search on it and one of the results was a thread on here and that was how I joined the hip forums.

I really believe that the concept of bug chasing will be one of the markers of the disturbing times we live in hundreds of years from now, our own 'horrible history' if you like
S

 

Holy crap. I just read about bugchasing...That is so disturbing.

Heres a link for those who don't know what bugchasing is. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bug_chasing



Just a question - are you in fact talking about bugchasing or are you talking about chubby chasing? I know that chubs and chasers are often associated and I aslo notice you spoke of "big guys". Please verify which one you mean

 

There was an episode about that on Queer as Folk. It's a terrible practice.

 

a lot of these people just post once so we may never know
S

 

um and what in the hell would make someone actually want HIV???

 

My thoughts exactly. I have a hard time comprehending why anyone would be so careless as to have promiscuous unprotected sex let alone actively try and get HIV+.

It just baffles me. I guess if they want to they can do whatever they want to themselves providing they let future partners know that they have 'the bug.'

 

The one thing that no-one seems to be able to answer is "why?", but I guess we'll never know. The West is a profoundly decadent culture, and I'm sure stuff like this is just the tip of the iceberg - my journo friend is currently writing an article on... wait for it... abortion fetishists - but bug-chasing in particular is just so hard to relate to.

I mean, I don't get leather fetishes or whatever, but I can get my head around the idea that you like something and it kinda replaces your "normal" responses sexually. But to have a fetish for something you can't see, feel or perceive at the time, and which kills you slowly... I mean, I really want to understand, because it really bothers me otherwise.

 

well this guy interviewed on TV said that it s agift because you stay young forever you, basically you die before you get old, the logic escapes me because dieing from AIDS isn't a very nice way to go and a person can end up looking very old before their time.
Sadly in the UK they had a very different reason for wanting it (I'm not sure wther this has changed) but a few people where delighted as they could end up having sickness benefits and their rent paid in full, in short it was money in the bank.
It also sound s bit vampish as some people have in mind exactly who they want to recieve the gift from, like being sired in vampire stories.

BTW *Andy* is right this could easily be chubby chasing, but I would bet money that we don't find out, ethier way this has prompted a very interesting (if morbid) discussion
S

 

The reason for this is because as soon as they talk about it, they get bombarded with all this anger from people, which is completely understandable, but really the only way that people can change their mindset would be to sit down and firstly listen to what they have to say and then and try and understand it
S

 

Thing is, they never say. That's what I don't understand. They're happy to say "I'm a bug chaser, so you can just get used to it", but not go into why. I would've thought if you were unashamed enough to admit it in the first place, explaining it wouldn't be too much effort. People seem to want to talk about it, but the way they do it it just seems like they'd rather be pilloried than understood.

I don't think anyone here's being that accepting or hostile, but you've got to admit, if you're going to broach an obviously controversial subject in a public forum, it makes sense to at least make a concise post about it.

Is the traditional way to die young - sex avec drugs, alcohol and driving cars into swimming pools filled with diamond flavoured caviar and dodo piss - passŽ these days?

 

the thing is my guess is that they don't want to think about the reasons too deeply as it would be a reminder of what low self worth they have in themselves and probably a self hate in most cases, can you imagine anyone with a healthy self worth actually wanting HIV?
Self harmers are people that hurt themselves, most if not all because they have a discomfortant being themselves, delibertatly trying to get HIV would fit into this.
Also people who feel they lack control in their lives could control and manipulate people into giving it to them, as many will pay for the priverlige of having unprotected sex
S

 

I could imagine idiots wanting it. Some of them have a GROSSLY inflated sense of self-worth.

Seriously though: abortion fetishism. Wow.